September 15, 2015 - Boeing employees in Renton, Wash.,
have started final assembly on schedule of the
first 737 MAX 8, the first member of Boeing’s
new, more efficient single-aisle family.

“We continue to meet our plan on the 737 MAX
program thanks to the dedication of our employee
team and our suppliers,” said Keith Leverkuhn,
vice president and general manager, 737 MAX
program, Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

“We have a lot more work still ahead of us but
we’re very pleased with our progress to date.”

After the first fuselage arrived on Aug. 21 from
Spirit Aerosystems in
Wichita, Kan, mechanics began installing flight
systems and insulation blankets. “It’s an honor.
There is only one crew that gets to be that
first crew that builds that airplane. I’m really
excited,” said Sean Christian, 737 MAX
Electrical team lead.

Crews next moved the fuselage to the
wing-to-body join position on the new production
line where the first MAXs will be built.
Mechanics then attached the wings to the body of
the airplane. The wings feature Boeing’s new
Advanced Technology winglets. Designed
exclusively for the 737 MAX, they will give
customers up to 1.8 percent additional
fuel-efficiency improvement over today’s inline
winglet designs.

“Seeing the new winglet design we validated in
the wind tunnel years ago now on the first new
airplane is incredible,” said Leverkuhn. “It’s
just one of the features that differentiate the
737 MAX and make it an amazingly fuel-efficient
machine.” Boeing will build the first 737 MAXs
exclusively on the new production line in the
Renton
factory. Once mechanics prove out the production
process, the team will extend MAX production to
the other two final assembly lines in Renton.

“The opening of a brand new production line in Renton
increases our flexibility and capacity, allowing this
incredible team to continue to meet our customers’ need
for the world’s most reliable single-aisle airplanes,
well into the future,” said Scott Campbell, vice
president and general manager, 737 program and Renton
site leader, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The 737 MAX
team remains on track to roll out the first completed
737 MAX by the end of the year and fly it in early 2016.
Launch customer Southwest Airlines is scheduled to take
delivery of the first 737 MAX in the third quarter of
2017. In total, the 737 MAX family has 2,869 orders from
58 customers worldwide.